Dynamic power management scheme in wireless networks based on power over ethernet (POE)

ABSTRACT

A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product for managing power of a connection point in a wireless communication system are provided. A connection point may discover a mobile node, send to a gateway a request to increase an amount of power that the connection point can consume to service the discovered mobile node, and receive from the gateway a response related to the request to increase the amount of power. In an aspect, a gateway receives from a first connection point a request to change an amount of power that the first connection point is allowed to consume to service a discovered mobile node, determines whether to accept the request from the first connection point, and sends a first command to increase the amount of power that the first connection point is allowed to consume to service the discovered mobile node if the request is accepted.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/917,515, entitled “DYNAMIC POWER MANAGEMENT SCHEME IN WIRELESSNETWORKS BASED ON POWER OVER ETHERNET (POE)” and filed on Jun. 13, 2013.The entirety of the disclosure of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/917,515 is expressly incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present disclosure relates generally to communication systems, andmore particularly, to dynamic power management of a wireless networkpowered by Power over Ethernet (PoE).

2. Background

In some indoor communications systems, it is common for multipleconnection points to be powered by a common power source with limitedpower delivery capabilities due to power source limitations and/orlimitations of the wiring delivering the power, e.g., a common DC powersource with a DC power bus with limited power delivery capabilities. AnEthernet+Power over Ethernet (PoE) bus is an example of a networkcommunications bus which also serves as a common power supply bus. Assome wireless connection points, e.g., base stations, have becomerelatively inexpensive, it may be desirable to populate a room with alarge number of limited range inexpensive connection points to provide amore complete coverage area, increase potential traffic, and/or reduceinterference. For example, it may be desirable to connect multiplewireless connection points to an existing Ethernet+PoE bus. Such anapproach is particularly attractive for retrofitting conference rooms,halls, etc. which may have an Ethernet+PoE bus already prewired.Unfortunately, a large number of connection points operating at the sametime drawing power from the common bus may overload the bus. In somepotential system deployments, there may be more connection points in asystem than wireless terminals, e.g., mobile nodes, in a particular roomat a given point in time. In a communications system wherein theconnection points are powered by a common power source via a commonpower bus with limited power delivery capabilities, there is an upperboundary on the number of connection points which can be operatedconcurrently due to power constraints on the common power source and/orcommon power bus.

In view of the above, it should be appreciated that there is a need fornew and improved methods of controlling power allocation to connectionpoints, which are powered from a common power source and/or share acommon power bus and/or for controlling when one or more power consumingfunctions are performed by connection points coupled to a common powerbus.

SUMMARY

In an aspect of the disclosure, a method, a computer program product,and an apparatus for managing power of a connection point in a wirelesscommunication network are provided. The apparatus discovers a mobilenode, sends to a gateway a request to increase an amount of power thatthe connection point is allowed to consume to service the discoveredmobile node, and receives from the gateway a response related to therequest to increase the amount of power.

In another aspect, the apparatus receives from a first connection pointa request to change an amount of power that the first connection pointis allowed to consume in order to service a discovered mobile node,determines whether to accept the request from the first connection pointto change the amount of power, and sends a first command to increase theamount of power that the first connection point is allowed to consume toservice the discovered mobile node if the request from the firstconnection point is accepted.

In a further aspect, the apparatus receives from a first connectionpoint servicing a mobile node, information indicating at least onesecond connection point discovered by the mobile node, determines tochange an amount of power that the discovered at least one secondconnection point is allowed to consume in order to service the mobilenode, and sends a command to change the amount of power that thediscovered at least one second connection point is allowed to consume.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a drawing of an exemplary communications system in accordancewith various exemplary embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a power control signaling sequence inan exemplary communications system.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a power control signaling sequence forneighboring connection points in an exemplary communications system.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a method of managing power of a connectionpoint in a wireless communication network.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a method of managing power of a connectionpoint discovering a mobile node in a wireless communication network.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a method of managing power of a connectionpoint in a wireless communication network.

FIG. 7 is a conceptual data flow diagram illustrating the data flowbetween different modules/means/components in an exemplary apparatus.

FIG. 8 is a conceptual data flow diagram illustrating the data flowbetween different modules/means/components in an exemplary apparatus.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementationfor an apparatus employing a processing system.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardwareimplementation for an apparatus employing a processing system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appendeddrawings is intended as a description of various configurations and isnot intended to represent the only configurations in which the conceptsdescribed herein may be practiced. The detailed description includesspecific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understandingof various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled inthe art that these concepts may be practiced without these specificdetails. In some instances, well known structures and components areshown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring such concepts.

Several aspects of communication systems will now be presented withreference to various apparatus and methods. These apparatus and methodswill be described in the following detailed description and illustratedin the accompanying drawings by various blocks, modules, components,circuits, steps, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively referred toas “elements”). These elements may be implemented using electronichardware, computer software, or any combination thereof. Whether suchelements are implemented as hardware or software depends upon theparticular application and design constraints imposed on the overallsystem.

By way of example, an element, or any portion of an element, or anycombination of elements may be implemented with a “processing system”that includes one or more processors. Examples of processors includemicroprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs),field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices(PLDs), state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware circuits, andother suitable hardware configured to perform the various functionalitydescribed throughout this disclosure. One or more processors in theprocessing system may execute software. Software shall be construedbroadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments,program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications,software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines,objects, executables, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc.,whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode,hardware description language, or otherwise.

Accordingly, in one or more exemplary embodiments, the functionsdescribed may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or anycombination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may bestored on or encoded as one or more instructions or code on acomputer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes computerstorage media. Storage media may be any available media that can beaccessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, suchcomputer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or otheroptical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storagedevices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desiredprogram code in the form of instructions or data structures and that canbe accessed by a computer. Disk and disc, as used herein, includescompact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc(DVD), and floppy disk where disks usually reproduce data magnetically,while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of theabove should also be included within the scope of computer-readablemedia.

FIG. 1 is a drawing of an exemplary communications system 100 inaccordance with various exemplary embodiments. Exemplary communicationssystem 100 includes a gateway device 102 including a power source module103 and a plurality of connection points or access points (e.g.,connection point 1 (CP-1) 104, CP-2 106, CP-3 108, CP-4 110, CP-5 112,CP-6 114, CP-7 116, CP-8 118, . . . , CP-(N−3) 120, CP-(N−2) 122,CP-(N−1) 124, CP-N 126). A connection point or access point is, forexample, an interface at which a mobile node can connect to a network,such as a Wi-Fi access point. The power source module 103 includes acommon power source 105 and a plurality of LAN ports (e.g., LAN port 1,LAN port 2, . . . , LAN port N. The common power source 105 receivesinput AC power via input power lines 111 and outputs generated andfiltered DC power via output power lines 113. Output power lines 113 arecoupled to designated power lines of the plurality of LAN ports. Gatewaydevice 102 is coupled to each of the CPs via a corresponding LAN port.Within power source module 103, signal lines of a LAN port are coupledto signal lines of other LAN ports and provide a feed through orfiltered feed through for Ethernet communications signals. In FIG. 1,LAN port 1 is coupled to CP-1 104, LAN port 2 is coupled to CP-2 106,LAN port 3 is coupled to CP-3 108, LAN port 4 is coupled to CP-4 110,LAN port 5 is coupled to CP-5 112, LAN port 7 is coupled to CP-7 116,and LAN port N is coupled to CP-N 126. Although not shown, LAN port 6and LAN port 8 are coupled to CP-6 114 and CP-8 118, respectively.Moreover, although not shown, various other LAN ports of the powersource module 103 may be coupled to various other correspondingconnection points of the communications system 100. For example,although not shown, CP-(N−3) 120, CP-(N−2) 122, and CP-(N−1) 124, arerespectively coupled to corresponding LAN ports of the power sourcemodule 103. The LAN ports may be coupled to the respective connectionpoints via Ethernet and/or Power over Ethernet (PoE), for example. Inexemplary system 100, CP-1 104, CP-2 106, CP-3 108, and CP-4 110 areincluded within room 1 134 with each CP (104, 106, 108, 110) mounted ona different wall. CP-5 112, CP-6 114, CP-7 116, and CP-8 118 areincluded within room 2 136 with each CP (112, 114, 116, 118) mounted ona different wall. CP-(N−3) 120, CP-(N−2) 122, CP-(N−1) 124, and CP-N 126are included within room M 138 with each CP (120, 122, 124, 126) mountedon a different wall.

In some embodiments, the topology is different, e.g., with differentsize rooms, different numbers of CPs in different rooms, and/or with thelocations of the CPs within the rooms being varied throughout thesystem. Although illustrated with rooms, it should be appreciated thatvarious possible alternatives of the structure are possible, e.g., witheach of the CPs coupled to the power source module 103 being locatedthroughout a common open space, or with sets of CPs coupled to powersource module 103 being located on different floors or within differentnon-contiguous portions of a building. In some other embodiments, atleast some portions of the coverage area corresponding to CPs coupled topower source module 103 are outdoors. In still other embodiments, theCPs coupled to power source module 103 are within a vehicle, e.g., anairplane, train, ship, or bus. In some embodiments, the power sourcemodule 103 is supplied with DC power for input, e.g., with the commonpower source module 105 performing DC to DC voltage level conversionsand filtering.

Exemplary communications system 100 further includes a plurality ofwireless terminals (WT-1 128, WT-2 130, . . . , WT-L 132), e.g., mobilenodes, which may move throughout the system 100 and communicate with oneor more connection points or access points in its vicinity. In theexample of FIG. 1, consider that WT-1 128 and WT-2 130 are currentlysituated within room 2 and may, and sometimes do, transmit signals,e.g., discovery signals which may be detected by one or more of the CPs(112, 114, 116, 118) within room 2 136, which are being controlled bygateway device 102 to monitor for wireless terminal signals. Atdifferent times, the gateway device 102 may, and sometimes does, selectand control different CPs to monitor for wireless terminal signals,e.g., in accordance with a predetermined search method and a powerdistribution budget.

In various embodiments, the predetermined search method includespredetermined time intervals in which a wide area search for WT signalsis used, and optional additional time intervals in which a localizedsearch for WT signals is used based on detections in the wide areasearch. In some embodiments, a first common power source power budgetfor allocation of CP monitoring applies to the predetermined wide areasearch intervals and a second common power source power budget forallocation of CP monitoring applies to the optional conditionallocalized search intervals, and the first and second power budgets aredifferent. In some embodiments, the different power budgets correspondto different numbers of CPs being selected and controlled to monitor forWT signals during different types of time intervals.

In some embodiments, first and second common power source power budgetscorrespond to the power budgets for monitoring purposes duringparticular time intervals, e.g., power for powering on and operatingsets of CP receiver modules during the particular time intervals. Otherpower source power budgets exist, e.g., a power source power budget foroperating a set of CPs in a sleep mode of operation in which neither thewireless transmitter or the wireless receive is powered on, and a powersource power budget for powering on a set of CP transmitter modules.

Within exemplary system 100, there are a large number of connectionpoints or access points under control of gateway device 102 which arecoupled to the power source module 103. The CPs are powered from commonpower source 105 via power lines. In various embodiments, there are moreaccess points coupled to common power source 105 than can be supportedto operate concurrently, e.g., in a particular mode of operation such asa receive mode, based on one or more or all of: the maximum power outputcapability of common power source 105, the current carrying capabilitiesof power lines, e.g., wire gage limitations, length of wire runs, andtopology of the LAN including the CPs. Gateway 102 selects and controlswhich access points are to operate at particular points in a timingstructure, e.g., selects which subset of access points to monitor todetect signals transmitted from wireless terminals, e.g., discoverysignals from wireless terminals, during a particular timing interval.

In an aspect, the present disclosure provides for dynamic powermanagement of a Power over Ethernet (PoE)-powered wireless network. Thewireless network comprises a gateway (e.g., gateway device 102 inFIG. 1) and a set of connection points (CPs) (e.g., CP-1 104, CP-2 106,. . . , and CP-N 126 in FIG. 1). Mobile nodes (e.g., WT-1 128, WT-2 130,. . . , and WT-L 132 in FIG. 1) may be attached to (associated with) theCPs. In a typical embodiment each CP may be powered by PoE, andtherefore, may not be plugged into a common wall socket to draw power.Moreover, each CP may have several power modes, e.g., full-operationmode (active mode), idle mode, and power-off mode. In the active mode,the CP may receive data from the gateway via wired Ethernet and transmitthe received data to a WT via Wi-Fi or other wireless means. The CP mayalso receive data from the WT via Wi-Fi or other wireless and transmitthe received data to the gateway via wired Ethernet while in the activemode. In the idle mode, the CP may periodically transmit (e.g.,broadcast) discovery information to any WT listening and/or periodicallyenable a wireless receiver to monitor for discovery informationtransmitted by a WT. In the power-off mode (e.g., sleep mode), awireless transmitter or wireless receiver of the CP is deactivated.

The gateway may be connected to a CP via an Ethernet cable, for example.The gateway and the CP may negotiate power allocation with each other.For example, the CP may send the gateway a power-request message, whichmay include a specified power value. In response to the request, thegateway may send to the CP a message (e.g., an echo message) indicatingwhether the requested power is granted. In another example, the gatewaymay send to the CP a power-allocation message including a specifiedpower value. In response, the CP may send a corresponding echo messageindicating whether the CP is able to operate according to the allocatedpower.

When no mobile node is wirelessly attached to (associated with) the CP,or the gateway does not allocate enough power for full operation of theCP, the CP may perform power conservation by implementing an idle mode.While in the idle mode, the CP may periodically wake to monitor for asignal, receive/decode a signal, and identify information in a discoverysignal.

As a mobile node travels through the network, the mobile node maydiscover and/or be discovered by a new CP, disconnect from itspreviously-attached CP, and attach to (associate with) the new CP.Accordingly, the previously-attached CP may change its power mode from afull-operation mode (active mode) to an idle mode as long as there areno other mobile nodes still attached to the CP. In contrast, the new CPmay change its power mode from an idle mode to a full-operation mode(active mode). The present disclosure provides for dynamicallycoordinating power states of a number of CPs based on mobile nodeactivities. Moreover, the present disclosure provides methods andapparatuses that allow a subset of CPs to be powered at a given timefrom a common power source to receive and/or send signals. The CPs beingpowered may be selected to provide adequate wireless signal coverage touser devices in an area being served by CPs coupled to a common bus.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a power control signaling sequence inan exemplary communications system 200. The communications system 200includes a gateway device 202, a mobile node (MN) 204, a firstconnection point (CP-1) 206, a second connection point (CP-2) 208, and athird connection point (CP-3) 210. Although not shown in FIG. 2, thecommunications system 200 may include other connection points connectedto the gateway device 202 and capable of servicing/communicating withthe MN 204.

Referring to FIG. 2, at an initial state A, the CP-2 208 may be in anidle mode. At state B, the MN 204 may discover the CP-2 208.Additionally or alternatively, the CP-2 may discover the MN 204 at stateB. The discovered MN 204 may not have an established link with thegateway device 202. Based on the presence of the MN 204, the CP-2 208may determine to change a power mode from the idle mode to afull-operation (active) mode in order to facilitate attachment with, andprovide service to, the MN 204. In an aspect, the CP-2 208 providesservice to the MN 204 by establishing a link between the MN 204 and thegateway device 202.

At state C, in order to change the power mode, the CP-2 208 may send apower-increase request message to the gateway device 202. Thepower-increase request message may include a request to increase theamount of power that the CP-2 208 can consume in order to service the MN204. At state D, the gateway device 202 may accept or deny thepower-increase request. The gateway device's decision may depend on atotal power budget available to the gateway device 202. For example, thepower source module 103 (see FIG. 1) may be capable of providing aparticular amount of power to its PoE ports, but the particular amountof power may not be enough to allow all of the CPs to operate in theactive mode. Accordingly, the gateway device 202 may monitor which CPsare in which mode so that the total power draw by the CPs is less thanor equal to the amount of power that the power source module 103 canprovide. Alternatively, the power source module 103 may be able toprovide all of the power needed to allow all of the CPs to operate inthe active mode simultaneously. Nonetheless, the gateway device 202 maystill manage the modes of the CPs to reduce power consumption.Additionally or alternatively, the gateway device's decision may bebased on an amount of interference the CP-2 208 consuming the increasedamount of power will cause to a neighboring connection point (e.g., CP-1206 and/or CP-3 210).

If the gateway device 202 accepts the power-increase request from theCP-2 208 at state D, the gateway device 202 may deliver the increasedamount of power requested to the CP-2 208 (e.g., via Power over Ethernet(PoE)). The CP-2 208 may then consume the increased amount of power tofacilitate attachment with, and begin servicing, the MN 204. The gatewaydevice 202 may further instruct a neighboring connection point, such asthe CP-1 206, to change to the idle mode if no mobile node is attachedto (associated with) the CP-1 206 (state E). Similarly, the gatewaydevice 202 may instruct the CP-3 210 to change to the idle mode if nomobile node is attached to (associated with) the CP-3 210 (state F).

If the gateway device 202 denies the power-increase request from theCP-2 208 at state D, then the gateway device 202 does not deliver theincreased amount of power to the CP-2 208, and the CP-2 208 is not ableto facilitate attachment with, nor service, the MN 204 because, forexample, the CP-2 208 must remain in idle mode. The gateway device 202may then coordinate with the CP-1 206 (at state E) to facilitateattachment and service with the MN 204. The gateway device mayadditionally or alternatively coordinate with the CP-3 210 (at state F)to facilitate attachment and service with the MN 204.

In an aspect, still referring to FIG. 2, multiple connection points(known to be nearby neighbors) may all be activated following thediscovery or association of a mobile node with one of the connectionpoints. For example, following the discovery or association of the MN204 with the CP-2 208, all connection points (e.g., CP-1 206, CP-2 208,and CP-3 210) may be activated (e.g., set into full-operation mode). Apower signaling sequence for activating all the connection points maybegin with the CP-2 208 sending a power-increase request message to thegateway device 202 (state C) after discovering the MN 204. Thereafter,when the power-increase request is accepted by the gateway device 202,the gateway device 202 may deliver an increased amount of power to theCP-2 208 (state D) as well as the CP-1 206 (state E) and the CP-2 210(state F). The CP-1 206, the CP-2 208, and the CP-3 210 may then consumethe increased amount of power to facilitate attachment with, andservice, the MN 204.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a power control signaling sequence forneighboring connection points in an exemplary communications system 300.The communications system 300 includes a gateway device 302, a mobilenode (MN) 304, a first connection point (CP-A) 306, a second connectionpoint (CP-B) 308, and a third connection point (CP-C) 310. Although notshown in FIG. 3, the communications system 300 may include otherconnection points connected to the gateway device 302 and capable ofservicing/communicating with the MN 304.

Referring to FIG. 3, the MN 304 currently attached to (associated with),and serviced by, the CP-B 308 may discover additional connection points(e.g., CP-A 306 and CP-C 310) to which the MN 304 may associate.Accordingly, the MN 304 may notify the connection point (CP-B 308) towhich the MN 304 is currently associated of the discovery. The CP-B 308may then inform the gateway device 302 of the discovered connectionpoints, wherein the gateway device 302 may coordinate activation of thediscovered connection points in order to associate with, and service,the MN 304.

Still referring to FIG. 3, a power control signaling sequence may be asfollows: At an initial state W, the MN 304 currently associated with theCP-B 3 may discover the existence of the CP-A 306 and/or the existenceof the CP-C 310. At state X, the MN 304 may send discovery informationto the CP-B 308 informing the CP-B 308 of the discovered connectionpoint(s) CP-A 306 and/or CP-C 310. Thereafter, at state Y, the CP-B 208may notify the gateway device 302 of the connection points discovered bythe MN 304. The gateway device 302 may then send a power-allocationmessage to the CP-A 306 and/or the CP-C 310 (state Z) to increase theamount of power that each connection point can consume in order toservice the MN 304.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart 400 of a method of managing power of a connectionpoint in a wireless communication network. The method may be performedby a connection point (e.g., CP in FIGS. 1-3). At step 402, theconnection point discovers a mobile node (e.g., WT in FIG. 1 and MN inFIGS. 2 and 3). The connection point may discover the mobile node byperiodically sending an announcement indicating an existence of theconnection point to the mobile node. Additionally or alternatively, theconnection point may discover the mobile node by periodically monitoringfor an announcement indicating an intent of the mobile node to bediscovered. Moreover, the connection point may perform the discoverywhile the connection point is in an idle mode. In the idle mode, theconnection point may periodically transmit and/or periodically monitorfor discovery information.

At step 404, the connection point may send to a gateway a request toincrease an amount of power that the connection point is allowed toconsume to service the discovered mobile node. The request may include arequest to operate the connection point in an active mode to service thediscovered mobile node.

At step 406, the connection point receives from the gateway a responserelated to the request to increase the amount of power. For example, thereceived response may indicate acceptance of the power-increase request.Prior to receiving the response, the connection point may consume afirst amount of power received at a power over Ethernet (PoE) port ofthe connection point. At step 408, the connection point may consume asecond amount of power received at the PoE port after receiving theresponse, the second amount of power being larger that the first amountof power. Hence, the second amount of power may be an increased amountof power. The increased amount of power may be delivered by the gatewayto the connection point via power over Ethernet (PoE), for example.

At step 410, the connection point services the discovered mobile nodeusing the consumed increased amount of power. The connection point mayprovide service to the mobile node by establishing a communication linkbetween the mobile node and the gateway.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart 500 of a method of managing power of a connectionpoint discovering a mobile node in a wireless communication network. Themethod may be performed by a gateway (e.g., gateway device 102 in FIG.1, gateway device 202 in FIG. 2, and gateway device 302 in FIG. 3).

At step 502, the gateway receives from a first connection point arequest to change an amount of power that the first connection point isallowed to consume to service a discovered mobile node. At step 504, thegateway determines whether to accept the request from the firstconnection point. The gateway may determine whether to accept therequest from the first connection point based on a total power budgetavailable and/or an amount of interference the first connection pointconsuming the increased amount of power will cause to a neighboringconnection point. For example, the gateway may be capable of providing aparticular amount of power to a number of connection points, but theparticular amount of power may not be enough to allow all of theconnection points to operate in the active mode. Accordingly, thegateway determines whether to accept the request from the firstconnection point by monitoring which connection points are in which modeso that the total power draw by the connection points is less than orequal to the amount of power that the gateway can provide.Alternatively, the gateway may be able to provide all of the powerneeded to allow all of the connection points to operate in the activemode simultaneously. Nonetheless, the gateway managing the modes of theconnection points may still determine whether to accept the request fromthe first connection point to reduce power consumption.

At step 506, if the gateway accepts the request from the firstconnection point, the gateway sends a first command to the firstconnection point to increase the amount of power that the firstconnection point is allowed to consume to service the discovered mobilenode. At step 508, the gateway may also send a command to change anamount of power that at least one second connection point (e.g., one ormore connection points neighboring the first connection point) canconsume to service the discovered mobile node.

In an aspect, the command sent to the at least one second connectionpoint may include an instruction to the at least one second connectionpoint to operate in an idle mode. Additionally or alternatively, thecommand sent to the at least one second connection point may include aninstruction to the at least one second connection point to operate in anactive mode.

In a further aspect, the command to change the amount of power that theat least one second connection point can consume may depend on whetherthe request from the first connection point is accepted. Accordingly, atstep 508, if the gateway accepts the request from the first connectionpoint (step 504), the gateway may send a command to the at least onesecond connection point to decrease the amount of power that the atleast one second connection point can consume. At step 510, the gatewayprovides the increased amount of power to the first connection point(e.g., via power over Ethernet (PoE)) to service the discovered mobilenode.

At step 512, if the gateway does not accept the request from the firstconnection point, the gateway may send a command to the at least onesecond connection point (e.g., one or more connection points neighboringthe first connection point) to increase the amount of power that the atleast one second connection point is allowed to consume. Thereafter, atstep 514, the gateway may provide the increased amount of power to theat least one second connection point (e.g., via PoE) in order to servicethe discovered mobile node if the at least one second connection pointis in wireless communication range with the discovered mobile node.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart 600 of a method of managing power of a connectionpoint in a wireless communication network. The method may be performedby a gateway (e.g., gateway device 102 in FIG. 1, gateway device 202 inFIG. 2, and gateway device 302 in FIG. 3).

At step 602, the gateway receives information from a first connectionpoint servicing a mobile node. The information may indicate at least onesecond connection point (e.g., one or more connection points neighboringthe first connection point) discovered by the mobile node.

At step 604, based on the received information, the gateway determineswhether to change an amount of power that the discovered at least onesecond connection point is allowed to consume to service the mobilenode. The gateway may determine whether to change the amount of powerbased on a total power budget available and/or an amount of interferencethe at least one second connection point consuming the changed amount ofpower will cause to a neighboring connection point.

At step 606, based on a positive result at step 604, the gateway sends acommand to change the amount of power that the discovered at least onesecond connection point is allowed to consume. At step 608, the gatewayprovides the changed amount of power to the at least one secondconnection point (e.g., via power over Ethernet (PoE)) to service thediscovered mobile node.

FIG. 7 is a conceptual data flow diagram 700 illustrating the data flowbetween different modules/means/components in an exemplary apparatus702. The apparatus 702 may be a connection point (e.g., CP in FIGS.1-3). The apparatus includes a receiving module 704, a discoveringmodule 706, a power processing module 708, a servicing module 710, asending module 712, and a Power over Ethernet (PoE) port 714. The PoEport 714 may be connected to a gateway 760 via an Ethernet cable or wire716.

The discovering module 706 may discover (via the receiving module 704) amobile node 750 (e.g., WT in FIG. 1 and MN in FIGS. 2 and 3). Thediscovering module 706 may discover the mobile node 750 by periodicallysending (via the sending module 712) an announcement indicating anexistence of the apparatus 702 to the mobile node 750. Additionally oralternatively, the discovering module 706 may discover the mobile node750 by periodically monitoring for (via the receiving module 704) anannouncement indicating an intent of the mobile node 750 to bediscovered. Moreover, the discovery module 706 may perform the discoverywhile the apparatus 702 is in an idle mode. In the idle mode, theapparatus 702 may periodically transmit and/or periodically monitor fordiscovery information.

Upon discovering the mobile node 750, the power processing module 708may send (via the sending module 712 and the PoE port 714) to thegateway 760 a request to increase an amount of power that the apparatus702 is allowed to consume to service the discovered mobile node 750. Therequest may include a request to operate in an active mode to servicethe discovered mobile node 750.

The power processing module 708 may receive (via the PoE port 714 andthe receiving module 704) from the gateway 760 a response related to therequest to increase the amount of power. For example, the receivedresponse may indicate acceptance of the power-increase request. Prior toreceiving the response, the servicing module 710 may consume a firstamount of power received at the PoE port 714. The servicing module 710may consume a second amount of power received at the PoE port afterreceiving the response, the second amount of power being larger than thefirst amount of power. Hence, the second amount of power may be anincreased amount of power. The increased amount of power may bedelivered by the gateway 760 to the servicing module 710 via power overEthernet (PoE) through the PoE port 714, for example.

The servicing module 710 services the discovered mobile node 750 usingthe consumed increased amount of power. The servicing module 710 mayprovide service to the mobile node 750 by establishing a communicationlink between the mobile node 750 and the gateway 760. For example, theestablished communication link may include the mobile node 750transmitting data wirelessly and the apparatus 702 receiving thewireless transmission and relaying the received data to the gateway 760via wired Ethernet. Similarly, the established communication link mayinclude the apparatus 702 receiving data via wired Ethernet from thegateway 760 and relaying the received data to the mobile node 750 viawireless transmission. Thus, when the link is established between themobile mode 750 and the gateway 760, the apparatus 702 participates inall communication between mobile node 750 and the gateway 760.

The apparatus 702 may include additional modules that perform each ofthe steps of the algorithm in the aforementioned flow chart of FIG. 4.As such, each step in the aforementioned flow chart of FIG. 4 may beperformed by a module and the apparatus may include one or more of thosemodules. The modules may be one or more hardware components specificallyconfigured to carry out the stated processes/algorithm, implemented by aprocessor configured to perform the stated processes/algorithm, storedwithin a computer-readable medium for implementation by a processor, orsome combination thereof.

FIG. 8 is a conceptual data flow diagram 800 illustrating the data flowbetween different modules/means/components in an exemplary apparatus802. The apparatus may be a gateway (e.g., gateway device 102 in FIG. 1,gateway device 202 in FIG. 2, and gateway device 302 in FIG. 3). Theapparatus includes a receiving module 804, a discovering module 806, apower processing module 808, a power source module 810, a sending module812, a first Power over Ethernet (PoE) port 814, and at least one otherPoE port (e.g., other PoE port(s)) 816. The first PoE port 814 may beconnected to a first connection point 850 via a first Ethernet cable orwire 818. The at least one other PoE port 816 may be connected to atleast one other connection point 860 (e.g., one or more connectionpoints neighboring the first connection point 850) via at least oneother Ethernet cable or wire 820.

The power processing module 808 receives (via the first PoE port 814 andthe receiving module 804) from the first connection point 850 a requestto change an amount of power that the first connection point 850 isallowed to consume to service a mobile node discovered by the firstconnection point 850. The power processing module 808 then determineswhether to accept the request from the first connection point 850. Thepower processing module 808 may determine whether to accept the requestfrom the first connection point 850 based on a total power budgetavailable and/or an amount of interference the first connection point850 consuming the increased amount of power will cause to a neighboringconnection point.

If the power processing module 808 accepts the request from the firstconnection point 850, the power processing module 808 sends (via thesending module 812 and the first PoE port 814) a first command to thefirst connection point 850 to increase the amount of power that thefirst connection point 850 is allowed to consume to service thediscovered mobile node. The power processing module 850 may also send acommand to change an amount of power that the at least one otherconnection point 860 (e.g., one or more connection points neighboringthe first connection point 850) is allowed to consume to service thediscovered mobile node.

In an aspect, the command sent to the at least one other connectionpoint 860 may include an instruction to the at least one otherconnection point 860 to operate in an idle mode. Additionally oralternatively, the command sent to the at least one other connectionpoint 860 may include an instruction to the at least one otherconnection point 860 to operate in an active mode.

In a further aspect, the command to change the amount of power that theat least one other connection point 860 can consume may depend onwhether the request from the first connection point 850 is accepted bythe power processing module 808. Accordingly, if the power processingmodule 808 accepts the request from the first connection point 850, thepower processing module 808 may send (via the sending module 812 and theat least one other PoE port 816) a command to the at least one otherconnection point 860 to decrease the amount of power that the at leastone other connection point 860 can consume. Thereafter, the power sourcemodule 810 may provide (via the first PoE port 814) the increased amountof power to the first connection point 850 (e.g., via power overEthernet (PoE)) to service the discovered mobile node.

If the power processing module 808 does not accept the request from thefirst connection point 850, the power processing module 808 may send acommand to the at least one other connection point 860 (e.g., one ormore connection points neighboring the first connection point 850) toincrease the amount of power that the at least one other connectionpoint 860 is allowed to consume. Thereafter, the power source module 810may provide (via the at least one other PoE port 816) the increasedamount of power to the at least one other connection point 860 (e.g.,via PoE) to service the discovered mobile node.

In an aspect, the discovering module 806 may receive (via the first PoEport 814 and the receiving module 804) information from the firstconnection point 850 servicing a mobile node. The information mayindicate at least one other connection point 860 (e.g., one or moreconnection points neighboring the first connection point 850) discoveredby the mobile node.

Based on the information received by the discovering module 806, thepower processing module 808 may determine whether to change an amount ofpower that the discovered at least one other connection point 860 isallowed to consume to service the mobile node. The power processingmodule 808 may determine whether to change the amount of power based ona total power budget available and/or an amount of interference the atleast one other connection point 860 consuming the changed amount ofpower will cause to a neighboring connection point.

If the power processing module 808 determines to change the amount ofpower, the power processing module 808 may send a command to the atleast one other connection point 860 to change the amount of power thatthe at least one other connection point 860 is allowed to consume.Thereafter, the power source module 810 may provide the changed amountof power to the at least one other connection point 860 (e.g., via powerover Ethernet (PoE)) in order to service the discovered mobile node.

The apparatus may include additional modules that perform each of thesteps of the algorithm in the aforementioned flow charts of FIGS. 5-6.As such, each step in the aforementioned flow charts of FIGS. 5-6 may beperformed by a module and the apparatus may include one or more of thosemodules. The modules may be one or more hardware components specificallyconfigured to carry out the stated processes/algorithm, implemented by aprocessor configured to perform the stated processes/algorithm, storedwithin a computer-readable medium for implementation by a processor, orsome combination thereof.

FIG. 9 is a diagram 900 illustrating an example of a hardwareimplementation for an apparatus 702′ employing a processing system 914.The processing system 914 may be implemented with a bus architecture,represented generally by the bus 924. The bus 924 may include any numberof interconnecting buses and bridges depending on the specificapplication of the processing system 914 and the overall designconstraints. The bus 924 links together various circuits including oneor more processors and/or hardware modules, represented by the processor904, the modules 704, 706, 708, 710, 712, the PoE port 714, and thecomputer-readable medium 906. The bus 924 may also link various othercircuits such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, andpower management circuits, which are well known in the art, andtherefore, will not be described any further. The Ethernet cable or wire716 may be connected between the PoE port 714 and the gateway device760.

The processing system 914 may be coupled to a transceiver 910. Thetransceiver 910 may be coupled to one or more antennas 920. Thetransceiver 910 may also be coupled to cable or wiring (e.g., theEthernet cable or wire 716) to facilitate wired transmissions with thePoE port 714. The transceiver 910 provides a means for communicatingwith various other apparatus over a wireless or wired transmissionmedium. The transceiver 910 receives a signal from the one or moreantennas 920, cable, or wire, extracts information from the receivedsignal, and provides the extracted information to the processing system914, specifically the receiving module 704 and/or the PoE port 714. Inaddition, the transceiver 910 receives information from the processingsystem 914, specifically the sending module 712 and/or the PoE port 714,and based on the received information, generates a signal to be appliedto the one or more antennas 920, cable, or wire. The processing system914 includes a processor 904 coupled to a computer-readable medium 906.The processor 904 is responsible for general processing, including theexecution of software stored on the computer-readable medium 906. Thesoftware, when executed by the processor 904, causes the processingsystem 914 to perform the various functions described supra for anyparticular apparatus. The computer-readable medium 906 may also be usedfor storing data that is manipulated by the processor 904 when executingsoftware. The processing system further includes at least one of themodules 704, 706, 708, 710, 712, and PoE port 714. The modules/port maybe software modules running in the processor 904, resident/stored in thecomputer readable medium 906, one or more hardware modules coupled tothe processor 904, or some combination thereof.

In one configuration, the apparatus 702/702′ for wireless communicationincludes means for discovering a mobile node, means for sending to agateway a request to increase an amount of power that the connectionpoint can consume in order to service the discovered mobile node, andmeans for receiving from the gateway a response related to the requestto increase the amount of power, means for servicing the discoveredmobile node when the received response indicates acceptance of therequest to increase the amount of power that the connection point canconsume, and means for consuming an increased amount of power, theincreased amount of power delivered by the gateway to the connectionpoint via power over Ethernet (PoE). The aforementioned means may be oneor more of the aforementioned modules of the apparatus 702 and/or theprocessing system 914 of the apparatus 702′ configured to perform thefunctions recited by the aforementioned means.

FIG. 10 is a diagram 1000 illustrating an example of a hardwareimplementation for an apparatus 802′ employing a processing system 1014.The processing system 1014 may be implemented with a bus architecture,represented generally by the bus 1024. The bus 1024 may include anynumber of interconnecting buses and bridges depending on the specificapplication of the processing system 1014 and the overall designconstraints. The bus 1024 links together various circuits including oneor more processors and/or hardware modules, represented by the processor1004, the modules 804, 806, 808, 810, 812, the first PoE port 814, theat least one other PoE port 816, and the computer-readable medium 1006.The bus 1024 may also link various other circuits such as timingsources, peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits,which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be describedany further. The first Ethernet cable or wire 818 may be connectedbetween the first PoE port 814 and the first connection point 850. Theat least one other Ethernet cable or wire 820 may be connected betweenthe at least one other PoE port 816 and the at least one otherconnection point 860.

The processing system 1014 may be coupled to a transceiver 1010. Thetransceiver 1010 may be coupled to cable or wiring (e.g., the firstEthernet cable or wire 818 or the at least one other Ethernet cable orwire 820). The transceiver 1010 provides a means for communicating withvarious other apparatus over a wired transmission medium. Thetransceiver 1010 receives a signal from the cable or wire, extractsinformation from the received signal, and provides the extractedinformation to the processing system 1014, specifically the receivingmodule 804, the first PoE port 814, and/or the at least one other PoEport 816. In addition, the transceiver 1010 receives information fromthe processing system 1014, specifically the sending module 812, thefirst PoE port 814, and/or the at least one other PoE port 816, andbased on the received information, generates a signal to be applied tothe cable or wire. The processing system 1014 includes a processor 1004coupled to a computer-readable medium 1006. The processor 1004 isresponsible for general processing, including the execution of softwarestored on the computer-readable medium 1006. The software, when executedby the processor 1004, causes the processing system 1014 to perform thevarious functions described supra for any particular apparatus. Thecomputer-readable medium 1006 may also be used for storing data that ismanipulated by the processor 1004 when executing software. Theprocessing system further includes at least one of the modules 804, 806,808, 810, 812, the first PoE port 814, and the at least one other PoEport 816. The modules/ports may be software modules running in theprocessor 1004, resident/stored in the computer readable medium 1006,one or more hardware modules coupled to the processor 1004, or somecombination thereof.

In one configuration, the apparatus 802/802′ for wireless communicationincludes means for means for receiving from a first connection point arequest to change an amount of power that the first connection point canconsume in order to service a discovered mobile node, means fordetermining whether to accept the request from the first connectionpoint to change the amount of power, means for sending a first commandto increase the amount of power that the first connection point canconsume to service the discovered mobile node if the request from thefirst connection point is accepted, means for sending a second commandto change an amount of power that at least one second connection pointcan consume to service the discovered mobile node, the change dependenton whether the request from the first connection point is accepted,means for providing the increased amount of power to the firstconnection point via power over Ethernet (PoE) if the request from thefirst connection point is accepted, means for providing the increasedamount of power to the at least one second connection point via PoE ifthe request from the first connection point is not accepted, means forreceiving from a first connection point servicing a mobile node,information indicating at least one second connection point discoveredby the mobile node, means for determining to change an amount of powerthat the discovered at least one second connection point can consume inorder to service the mobile node, and means for sending a command tochange the amount of power that the discovered at least one secondconnection point can consume. The aforementioned means may be one ormore of the aforementioned modules of the apparatus 802 and/or theprocessing system 1014 of the apparatus 802′ configured to perform thefunctions recited by the aforementioned means.

It is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in theprocesses disclosed is an illustration of exemplary approaches. Basedupon design preferences, it is understood that the specific order orhierarchy of steps in the processes may be rearranged. Further, somesteps may be combined or omitted. The accompanying method claims presentelements of the various steps in a sample order, and are not meant to belimited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in theart to practice the various aspects described herein. Variousmodifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilledin the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied toother aspects. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to theaspects shown herein, but is to be accorded the full scope consistentwith the language claims, wherein reference to an element in thesingular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specificallyso stated, but rather “one or more.” Unless specifically statedotherwise, the term “some” refers to one or more. Combinations such as“at least one of A, B, or C,” “at least one of A, B, and C,” and “A, B,C, or any combination thereof” include any combination of A, B, and/orC, and may include multiples of A, multiples of B, or multiples of C.Specifically, combinations such as “at least one of A, B, or C,” “atleast one of A, B, and C,” and “A, B, C, or any combination thereof” maybe A only, B only, C only, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C,where any such combinations may contain one or more member or members ofA, B, or C. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements ofthe various aspects described throughout this disclosure that are knownor later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art areexpressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to beencompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein isintended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether suchdisclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is tobe construed as a means plus function unless the element is expresslyrecited using the phrase “means for.”

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of managing power of a connection pointin a wireless communication network, comprising: receiving, from a firstconnection point, information related to the first connection point, theinformation including a request to change an amount of power that thefirst connection point is allowed to consume to service a discoveredmobile node; determining, based on the information, whether to acceptthe request to change an allowable amount of power to consume forservicing the discovered mobile node; and sending, when the request fromthe first connection point is accepted, a command to the connectionpoint based on the determination, the command indicating an increase ofthe amount of power that the first connection point is allowed toconsume to service the discovered mobile node.
 2. The method of claim 1,further comprising sending a second command to change an amount of powerthat at least one second connection point is allowed consume based onwhether the request from the first connection point is accepted.
 3. Themethod of claim 2, wherein the second command decreases the amount ofpower that the at least one second connection point is allowed toconsume if the request from the first connection point is accepted, andwherein the second command increases the amount of power that the atleast one second connection point is allowed to consume if the requestfrom the first connection point is not accepted.
 4. The method of claim3, further comprising: providing the increased amount of power to thefirst connection point via power over Ethernet (PoE) if the request fromthe first connection point is accepted; and providing the increasedamount of power to the at least one second connection point via PoE ifthe request from the first connection point is not accepted.
 5. Themethod of claim 2, wherein the second command comprises an instructionto the at least one second connection point to operate in an idle mode.6. The method of claim 2, wherein the second command comprises aninstruction to the at least one second connection point to operate in anactive mode.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining whetherto accept the request from the first connection point to change theamount of power is based on at least one of: a total power budgetavailable; or an amount of interference the first connection pointconsuming the increased amount of power will cause to a neighboringconnection point.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:receiving from the first connection point servicing the mobile node,information indicating at least one second connection point discoveredby the mobile node, determining to change an amount of power that thediscovered at least one second connection point is allowed to consume toservice the mobile node, and sending a command to change the amount ofpower that the discovered at least one second connection point isallowed to consume.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining tochange the amount of power is based on at least one of: a total powerbudget available; or an amount of interference the at least one secondconnection point consuming the changed amount of power will cause to aneighboring connection point.
 10. An apparatus for managing power of aconnection point in a wireless communication network, comprising: meansfor receiving, from a first connection point, information related to thefirst connection point, the information including a request to change anamount of power that the first connection point is allowed to consume toservice a discovered mobile node; means for determining, based on theinformation, whether to accept the request to change an allowable amountof power to consume for servicing the discovered mobile node; and meansfor sending, when the request from the first connection point isaccepted, a command to the connection point based on the determination,the command indicating an increase of the amount of power that the firstconnection point is allowed to consume to service the discovered mobilenode.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising means forsending a second command to change an amount of power that at least onesecond connection point is allowed to consume based on whether therequest from the first connection point is accepted.
 12. The apparatusof claim 11, wherein the second command decreases the amount of powerthat the at least one second connection point is allowed to consume ifthe request from the first connection point is accepted, and wherein thesecond command increases the amount of power that the at least onesecond connection point is allowed to consume if the request from thefirst connection point is not accepted.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12,further comprising: means for providing the increased amount of power tothe first connection point via power over Ethernet (PoE) if the requestfrom the first connection point is accepted; and means for providing theincreased amount of power to the at least one second connection pointvia PoE if the request from the first connection point is not accepted.14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the second command comprises aninstruction to the at least one second connection point to operate in anidle mode.
 15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the second commandcomprises an instruction to the at least one second connection point tooperate in an active mode.
 16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein themeans for determining is configured to determine whether to accept therequest from the first connection point to change the amount of powerbased on at least one of: a total power budget available; or an amountof interference the first connection point consuming the increasedamount of power will cause to a neighboring connection point.
 17. Theapparatus of claim 10, wherein: the means for receiving is configured toreceive from the first connection point servicing the mobile node,information indicating at least one second connection point discoveredby the mobile node, the means for determining is configured to determineto change an amount of power that the discovered at least one secondconnection point is allowed to consume to service the mobile node, andthe means for sending is configured to send a command to change theamount of power that the discovered at least one second connection pointis allowed to consume.
 18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the meansfor determining is configured to determine to change the amount of powerbased on at least one of: a total power budget available; or an amountof interference the at least one second connection point consuming thechanged amount of power will cause to a neighboring connection point.19. An apparatus for managing power of a connection point in a wirelesscommunication network, comprising: a memory; and at least one processorcoupled to the memory and configured to: receive, from a firstconnection point, information related to the first connection point, theinformation including a request to change an amount of power that thefirst connection point is allowed to consume to service a discoveredmobile node; determine, based on the information, whether to change anallowable amount of power to consume for servicing the discovered mobilenode; and send, when the request from the first connection point isaccepted, a command to the connection point based on the determination,the command indicating an increase of the amount of power that the firstconnection point is allowed to consume to service the discovered mobilenode.
 20. The apparatus of claim 19, the at least one processor furtherconfigured to send a second command to change an amount of power that atleast one second connection point is allowed to consume based on whetherthe request from the first connection point is accepted.
 21. Theapparatus of claim 20, wherein the second command decreases the amountof power that the at least one second connection point is allowed toconsume if the request from the first connection point is accepted, andwherein the second command increases the amount of power that the atleast one second connection point is allowed to consume if the requestfrom the first connection point is not accepted.
 22. The apparatus ofclaim 21, the at least one processor further configured to: provide theincreased amount of power to the first connection point via power overEthernet (PoE) if the request from the first connection point isaccepted; and provide the increased amount of power to the at least onesecond connection point via PoE if the request from the first connectionpoint is not accepted.
 23. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the secondcommand comprises an instruction to the at least one second connectionpoint to operate in an idle mode.
 24. The apparatus of claim 20, whereinthe second command comprises an instruction to the at least one secondconnection point to operate in an active mode.
 25. The apparatus ofclaim 19, wherein the at least one processor configured to determine isconfigured to determine whether to accept the request from the firstconnection point to change the amount of power based on at least one of:a total power budget available; or an amount of interference the firstconnection point consuming the increased amount of power will cause to aneighboring connection point.
 26. The apparatus of claim 19, the atleast one processor further configured to: receive from the firstconnection point servicing the mobile node, information indicating atleast one second connection point discovered by the mobile node;determine to change an amount of power that the discovered at least onesecond connection point is allowed to consume to service the mobilenode; and send a command to change the amount of power that thediscovered at least one second connection point is allowed to consume.27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the at least one processorconfigured to determine is configured to determine to change the amountof power based on at least one of: a total power budget available; or anamount of interference the at least one second connection pointconsuming the changed amount of power will cause to a neighboringconnection point.
 28. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storingcomputer-executable code for managing power of a connection point in awireless communication network, comprising code to: receive, from afirst connection point, information related to the first connectionpoint, the information including a request to change an amount of powerthat the first connection point is allowed to consume to service adiscovered mobile node; determine, based on the information, whether tochange an allowable amount of power to consume for servicing a mobilenode; and send, when the request from the first connection point isaccepted, a command to the connection point based on the determination,the command indicating an increase of the amount of power that the firstconnection point is allowed to consume to service the discovered mobilenode.
 29. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, thecomputer-readable medium further comprising code to send a secondcommand to change an amount of power that at least one second connectionpoint is allowed to consume based on whether the request from the firstconnection point is accepted.
 30. The computer-readable medium of claim29, wherein the second command decreases the amount of power that the atleast one second connection point is allowed to consume if the requestfrom the first connection point is accepted, and wherein the secondcommand increases the amount of power that the at least one secondconnection point is allowed to consume if the request from the firstconnection point is not accepted.
 31. The computer-readable medium ofclaim 29, further comprising code to: provide the increased amount ofpower to the first connection point via power over Ethernet (PoE) if therequest from the first connection point is accepted; and provide theincreased amount of power to the at least one second connection pointvia PoE if the request from the first connection point is not accepted.32. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the second commandcomprises an instruction to the at least one second connection point tooperate in an idle mode.
 33. The computer-readable medium of claim 29,wherein the second command comprises an instruction to the at least onesecond connection point to change to an active mode.
 34. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 28, wherein the code to determineincludes code to determine whether to accept the request from the firstconnection point to change the amount of power based on at least one of:a total power budget available; or an amount of interference the firstconnection point consuming the increased amount of power will cause to aneighboring connection point.
 35. The computer-readable medium of claim28, further comprising code to: receive from the first connection pointservicing the mobile node, information indicating at least one secondconnection point discovered by the mobile node, determine to change anamount of power that the discovered at least one second connection pointis allowed to consume to service the mobile node, and send a command tochange the amount of power that the discovered at least one secondconnection point is allowed to consume.
 36. The computer-readable mediumof claim 35, wherein the code to determine includes code to determine tochange the amount of power based on at least one of: a total powerbudget available; or an amount of interference the at least one secondconnection point consuming the changed amount of power will cause to aneighboring connection point.